C.S. Lewis once said that “the church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of non-members.”  God’s people are called to be very outwardly-focused, seeking to bring others into a relationship with Jesus and to display God’s kingdom on earth through works of love, peace, and justice.  I’ve been thinking about that truth recently as we’ve been contemplating the risks and rewards involved in moving our church to a new location that would increase just about everything – exposure to the town, financial bills, and ministry demands on our members.  I see this opportunity as a serious challenge to everyone from the leadership to the most recent attendees as to whether or not we agree with the above quote.  Do we exist primarily to serve ourselves and to care for each other, or to see this community and world transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ?

I am sure that most people want to say the latter, of course.  The hard part is, however, that the answer to what we truly believe will come not by our words but by our actions.  Consider the following:

 Having our own space will mean that we are responsible for keeping it clean, so that dirty bathrooms and stained carpets might not be a stumbling block to people coming to faith in Jesus.  But who is going to keep it clean?

 Having a prominent location will mean more visiting families, which will require our nursery and Sunday School ministries to have enough teachers and volunteers that we are prepared for growth.  But we certainly can’t expect newcomers to start teaching Sunday School a month after showing up.  So who is going to step up and volunteer?

 Moving into a new location will mean taking time to organize the best layout for everything from classrooms to storage, and then working to make the best use of the space we have.  But who is going to volunteer their time to make that happen?

 Having a seven-day a week space gives the opportunity to be more hospitable to our community.  But who is going to step up with ideas and pull a team together to carry them out?

In the end, enthusiasm over a building means nothing unless we are willing to give whatever God asks in order to see the gospel transform our community.  Jesus was clear that the call to follow Him is full of sacrifice – taking up our cross, allowing no idols besides our God, and putting our hand to the plow and not looking back.  He called the rich young ruler to give all he had to the poor and follow Him, the disciples to leave their nets and become fishers of men, and to his listeners to be careful not to love anyone, even their son or daughter, more than Him.  But Jesus also promised in Matthew 10:39 that “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Just as his cross led to a resurrection, the way to new life comes through giving it up for the sake of others.

When we gather this Sunday after the morning service to discuss how God has been speaking, remember that we will vote not with our words but with our actions.  Does our current status reflect our hopes as a church?  Or will we take the challenge to become a church that is willing to give whatever God calls us to give, because we are convinced that we exist for the benefit of our non-members?

“It was [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ .” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

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